Does being sick with other illnesses trigger seizures?

A common trigger for seizures in people with epilepsy is being sick with some type of acute illness or infection. Head colds, lung infections or sinus infections (caused by viruses or bacteria) are often associated with a change in seizures. The seizures could be triggered by the physical stress of being sick, having a fever, or getting dehydrated if not eating or drinking well. People with seizures who have stomach bugs or illnesses causing upset stomach and vomiting may also get dehydrated and may not be able to take their seizure medications on time. People may also not sleep well when they are sick, adding another possible trigger!

Do over-the-counter (OTC) or other prescription drugs affect seizures?

Some medicines that you pick up off the shelf at the drug store can potentially increase the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy, or even cause seizures for the first time.

The most common OTC medicine that may affect seizures is probably diphenhydramine. This medicine is the active ingredient in medications like Benadryl, which is used for colds, allergies, and sleep. If you have epilepsy, you should talk to your doctor before you use it.

Other medicines for head colds, allergies or other conditions have ingredients that may affect seizures in people with epilepsy or affect seizure medicines.

Some commonly prescribed antibiotics can also make a person with epilepsy more likely to have seizures. If you have an infection and need an antibiotic, it’s wise to have your primary care doctor talk to your epilepsy specialist to see which antibiotics may be best to use. Sometimes a person needs to use an antibiotic for an infection that could also provoke seizures. When this happens, make sure your doctors talk to each other first. Call your epilepsy doctor if you notice a change in your seizures. He or she may suggest adjusting your seizure medication or using a rescue seizure medicine like lorazepam or diazepam until you are done with the antibiotic.

Some herbal medicines also have ingredients that can increase the chance of seizures or affect your seizure medicines. Just because they come from nature does not necessarily mean they are safe for you to use.

Other common medicines (even aspirin in some cases) can increase the unwanted side effects of your seizure medicines or increase seizures by changing the level of medication in your blood. Check the information elsewhere on this site concerning drug interactions and seizure medicines.

What can people do to lessen risks of seizures when they are sick with other illnesses?

Keep a diary of your seizures and note any triggers that occur, including if you get sick with an infection, cold or other illness.

Talk to your epilepsy doctor before taking a new medicine prescribed by a different doctor.

Keep a list of medicines that trigger your seizures or that affect the levels of your seizure medicines. Share this list with all health care providers that you see.

Ask your epilepsy provider for a rescue drug and when to take it. Rescue seizure drugs are medications that can be used for unexpected changes in seizures that occur once in a while. They are used to help calm down or stop seizures out of the hospital in addition to your regular seizure medication. Ideally, these medicines can help stop changes in seizures before an emergency develops. Rescue medicines should never be used instead of getting emergency medical help for seizure emergencies.

Take good care of yourself- when you are sick, drink plenty of fluids, eat as best you can, take recommended medicines to treat a fever, and get rest.

If you are given an antibiotic or other medicine to treat the new illness, make sure to take the full course. Call your doctor if the symptoms don’t go away after the medicine is done.

Call your epilepsy doctor if you are having diarrhea and a change in your seizures. You may not be absorbing all the seizure medicines.

Don’t miss any doses of seizure medicine. If you are sick to your stomach and can’t hold down your medicine, call your epilepsy doctor or go to an emergency room so you can get something to stop vomiting and help you take your seizure medicines.

\r\n I have had epilepsy for at least 50 years and as long as I can remember I have also suffered from chronic insomnia. My \"doctor\" has prescribed several sleep aids but they have never worked very long. I may get 2 hours of sleep when I take a pill and usually end up taking another around 3-4in the morning because a couple of hours of sleep a night is not enough. I have gone for as long as four days with nothing more than a 5 minute nap in the morning,this sleep routine scares me because a lack of sleep has a definite affect on my epilepsy.

I avoid going to my family \"doctor\" because she never seems to know how to help me with any of my medical conditions. I've had a botched hip replacement which left one leg shorter than the other and that has caused a lot of back problems. I live in Brantford Ontario and I can't find a physician I could consider qualified to handle my medical issues but I can't leave this one either or I have no way to get my prescriptions renewed. At this point I am seriously considering moving to another area in the hope of being able to find a capable doctor or at least a pharmacist more qualified than the one I have now.

If you have any suggestions for me please contact me at : joyce.mclagan@gmail.com Rhank you for your time.

\r\n I am 39 years old and I have had MS for years. My new symptom is passing out & horrible jerking at night. I know when I am going to pass out because my ears start ringing. My new Neurologist thinks I might be having seizures. I am set to have an overnight EEG. I have enough on my plate now this?\r\n\r\n

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Gen

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n I have recently had back to back seizures (grand mal) and had not had any for over four years. I keep getting a metallic taste in my mouth, ringing in my ears, and feelings like I'm leaving my own body at times. I figured I was just getting dizzy when I stood up to fast or coughed to hard. Now I'm not sure what is really going on. I also see flashing light and feel like I'm hungover when I wake up. I'm having a 48 hr ambulatory EEG tomorrow. Am I missing some important signs? They think that maybe my medicine is just no longer working for me. I need some advice.\r\n\r\n

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mrskegardner@yahoo.co.uk

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n A strange question here folks; but can sex trigger a seizure? It does for me, no kidding, it didn't when I was younger but as I've got older it never fails, just a partial seizure is all that happens\r\n\r\n

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lisab365

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12 months ago

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\r\n Yes it can! When your really into it your breathing changes. Changes in breathing patterns can trigger seizures\r\n\r\n

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James Davis

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n One can tell, as I have over the years when I was sick with a cold, fever or flu, I had at times Chicken Noodle Soup from a CAN. Most of those times I had MORE of the petit mal seizures as a teenager or younger kid, when I knew nothing what was in that soup. Later in my early 30's I had the same brand of Chicken Noodle Soup only to have more of the GRAND MAL SEIZURES when I was sick from a cold, fever & or flu symptoms I had, which then made me wake uo to all the foods I was eating for 32 years.I then started to learn more & more what I had been eating for years since 1961, may had been my problem all my life with the seizures I had in 1960/61 through the present day & times I can have them now. For those reasons are why I only eat about 5%, to no more than 10% of the food supply in the USA in 2014. Clearly there was a pattern to what food then and now caused the petit mals as a kid, now was and still can cause GRAND MALS today. Now lets see who is an advocate for who, as to where every person can know as much as what the food industries chemicals, additives & preservatives, do to the human brain, with out everyone else learning the hardest way one can learn, as my GRAND MAL SEIZURES came close to killing me many times, ''and the drugs'' that I have taken for over 53 years has ''never stopped one seizure from happening'' when these bad & unsafe food chemicals, additives & preservatives were in my system & brain. There's no mystery to me why today, there are almost 70,000,00 world wide with seizures or has had a seizure, when that number was only 5 to 10 MILLION in 1975 world wide of people that had a seizure in their life. Joel, I can relate to that in so many ways, as the drug ''Zonegran'' I believe has a form of MSG in that with the hydrogenated vegetable or soy oil they have in it, as that in itself can be MSG, which may explain the ringing in the ears I have had now for 3 months going on 4. I said to my doctor how I felt and that did not matter much, as I must live with all the side effects from these drugs. Really ? Again if I can ask anyone,, Who is my advocate with the problems I can have with the seizures, that I COULD have, if I eat the wrong foods or take the wrong drug or drugs combined that can trigger seizures? . \r\n\r\n

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mrskegardner@yahoo.co.uk

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n Try the KETOGENIC DIET, it works for some people. it was suggested by the Specialist Nurse at the hospital, (a bit like the Atkins Diet).\r\n\r\n

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Faye Pentlow

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n hi james there is another link here apart from the food you had fever and flu symptoms. could there be any chance you did not sleep very well both times and had a sleep deprived seizure. god bless you in jesus name amen\r\n\r\n

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Brit

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n James, very interesting about the Zonegran. I too have epilepsy. Have been diagnosed now for almost 10 years. I go for my first overnight EEG next month. Hoping to find some more information out. I am currently on the medication Zonegran, 100mg, twice daily. It is not controlling my seizure at all. Wake up every morning with jerking sensations and exhausted for much of the day. All I want to do is sleep. I find that stress, alcohol, and sleep deprivation trigger most of my seizures. Praying one day they will find a cure!

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lisab365

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12 months ago

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\r\n I'm on lamectal and zonegran. The combo works\r\n\r\n

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joel

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More than 1 year ago

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\r\n My last seizure was actually triggered by 24 hours decongestant given to me by my MD to try , when my neurologist found out He went thru the roof , I had been doing fine before.\r\n\r\n